Castaway meets Space Hulk, BigTrak & MS-DOS

People tell me that cutting-edge graphical tech is absolutely crucial for attaining that most hallowed of made-up buzzwords: immersion. I understand that point of view and the logic behind it, but also contend that it's complete and total bollocks.

See, for the last few weeks I've been compulsively glued to a primitive early alpha that uses the bare minimum to ground you in an evocative lonely Sci-Fi universe, by making your computer monitor look like a different computer monitor.

Duskerscasts you as a astronaut castaway in the depths of space, running out of rations and going half-mad from isolation, desperately eking out the last of your days by salvaging any usable supplies from derelict space hulks. You'll use your precious supplies just to travel between them, meaning that you have to find food or die of starvation, but in a unique twist you'll never personally leave your ship.

Without a viable space suit, you'll instead rely on a handful of remote-controlled drones that become your only means of exploring the wrecks, your eyes, ears and hands, and also your only friends in an otherwise hostile and empty universe. As such, both you and the astronaut stare at the same arcane control interface -- your computer monitor and keyboard -- connecting and immersing you in the game world in a unique and deeply chilling way.

After all, your drones aren't alone out there... and without them you're as good as dead.

The folks over at Misfits Attic are celebrating the anniversary of the release of their highly enjoyable puzzler A Virus Named TOM. To mark the occasion, they have slashed the price for the game by a whopping 75%, making it practically a steal at £1.65 for the game (although spending an extra 30p or so can get the soundtrack edition.) Click here to take advantage of the sale, which ends tomorrow.

In addition to the major saving, Misfits Attic have also begun a competition to create a Steam Card of TOM’s very own. The best designs will be put to a vote and the winner will be added to Steam’s virtual collection / swapping service. You can read all the details, as well as get hold of some official assets for inspiration, by heading over to the Misfits Attic Blog.

In our review, Jon said that AVNT was “an accessible fusion of brainpower and thumb-caning precision, packing both polished quality and an impressive amount of quality for solo players and social gamers alike.” In short, you should probably get involved while the getting is good. Happy Birthday, TOM!

"It's Not A Good Portent For Gaming Goodness To Come"

Dealspwn.com has heard from several high-profile independent developers (including Cthulhu Saves The World creator Robert Boyd and ex-Insomniac weapon designer Nathan Fouts) who are worried about Microsoft's perceived focus on entertainment and lack of support for self-publishing indie developers following the Xbox One reveal event.

That said, they all also suggest that we won't know the whole story until June 10th.

Indie developer Tim Keenan has let us know that his impressive PC puzzler will release on PlayStation Mobile later this year. A Virus Named Tom will be playable on both Vita consoles and PlayStation Certified Android devices from "summer," and we'll keep you up to date as we hear more.

The Christmas Steam Sale may be a distant memory for another year, but at least we still have the daily deals to keep us going until the next one. As such, Steam have kicked off the return to normal programming with a deal for one of last year’s best indie titles.

Addictive, engaging, and more importantly fun, AVNT proved to be a puzzler worth investing in, and at the current price you can’t really argue with the value for money if you're looking for something to challenge your brain as well as your thumbs.

Cracking indie puzzler A Virus Named TOM is getting into the Christmas spirit with a free Yuletide-themed DLC pack. Basically, everything becomes a little more jolly and merry, while some Christmas costumes have been cunningly stashed into existing levels. Misfits Attic are slowly releasing hints to their location, and promise that the first player to send in proof of collecting all three will be some swag.

We described A Virus Named TOM as " an accessible fusion of brainpower and thumb-caning precision" in our 8/10 review.

Did you miss the opportunity to buy A Virus Named TOM for £3.19? Really? Oh no! It's bloody brilliant! This indie puzzler does the business: quality, quantity and a dedicated local cooperative mode that's provided some of the most fun we've had in a long time.

Thankfully, Steam are back with an equally time-sensitive deal - perhaps this time will be different?

Did you miss the opportunity to buy A Virus Named TOM for £3.19? Really? Oh no! It's bloody brilliant! This indie puzzler does the business: quality, quantity and a dedicated local cooperative mode that's provided some of the most fun we've had in a long time.

Thankfully, Misfits Attic are still running a 25% off launch sale that brings the price down to £4.23 thanks to the exchange rate... undercutting Steam in the process even though you'll still get a Steam code. Choosing this option will also allow you to give all the money to the developers rather than letting Valve take their 30% cut.

You've read the review. You know A Virus Named TOM is brilliant. But what you might not know is that you've got 24 hours to get this addictive action puzzler at a major discount by buying the beta directly from Misfits Attic. Doing so will net you a 50% saving, instant access to the beta version and an automatic update to the full version when it releases tomorrow.

Disgruntled employees can be a nightmare, especially when they're insane scientists with a penchant for advanced AI programming. After building the world of the future - complete with robotic dogs, tin foil suits and teleporters - all poor old Dr. X wanted to do was create an enormous robot laser that annihilates everyone stupid enough to stray outside. Was that too much to ask?

Evidently it was. Made redundant and stripped of his royalties, Doctor X has one last present for the ungrateful world: an intelligent computer virus designed to corrupt all of his creations and devastate the blissful utopia. Controlling this adorable yet devastating piece of computer code, we'll infest, corrupt and destroy everything in our path. Either alone, with friends or against them.

Indie puzzler A Virus Named Tom is out on August 1st, and it's ruddy brilliant. Playing as a computer virus, you'll corrupt and destroy the world of tomorrow in smart, fast-paced gameplay. Our full review is going to hit at the end of the month, but until launch day, you can actually buy into the beta at a 50% discount.

This is a better deal than it might appear. First of all, you'll get a Steam code, a DRM-free download and instant access to the beta. Secondly, however, you'll also get an update to the full version at launch.